The present invention relates to a pouring and level-maintaining device for supplying water to basins in which plants, such as cut trees or flowers, are contained.
More particularly, the present invention relates to devices that aid the filling of plant basins to a prescribed depth and subsequently refilling the basins to the prescribed level as the liquid evaporates or is drawn from the basin by plant material.
A common holiday tradition is the display of evergreen trees within the home which have been cut and sold for interior decoration. Within a short period of time, these trees, often known as "Christmas trees", can become dry, brown and fire-prone. In order to slow the drying process, it is common to employ a stand which includes a water receptacle, referred to herein as a plant basin, in which the cut end of the tree is immersed in water. If the owner maintains the level of water so that the end of the tree trunk remains underwater, the owner reduces the tree's loss of needles, discoloration and flammability. Depending upon the size of the tree and the atmospheric conditions, owners must add 8 to 24 ounces of water per day to the plant basin. This requires frequent monitoring and water renewal.
Failure to recognize and respond to the situation where the cut end of the tree is exposed to the air is a very common problem that leads to the premature drying of Christmas trees. The distasteful routine of checking the water level and refilling the basin is familiar to most owners of these evergreen decorations. One problem is the difficulty of determining the water level in the basin as the basin is filled with a tree and often surrounded by various packages and decorations. A second problem is transporting the needed water to the basin in a convenient and simple manner. A third problem is maintaining a consistent water depth within the basin so that the water does not overflow or drop below the cut end of the tree truck. A fourth problem is the need for frequent water replenishment.
Numerous watering devices for Christmas trees and other plants are known in the prior art. Devices for funneling water to the basin have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,267,412 issued to Bergin and D. 338,600 issued to Baezzo. These devices address the second problem of getting water into the basin, but they do not address the other concerns regarding water level inspection and maintenance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,178 issued to Petrovic reveals the addition of a removable water reservoir to a unique stand and a support cradle for attaching to a traditional stand. This device creates several new problems. First, the use of the unique stand with support device can easily be impaired by the common occurrence of non-uniform tree branches. Second, the mounting of the independent support device limits the applicability of this device to a subset of the commonly used stands. It also requires a degree of user skill in implementing the support device and using it as a cradle for the water reservoir. U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,634 issued to Erdahl attempts to address these latter constraints to use by using a free hanging device to suspend the water reservoir over the basin. Unfortunately, this solution substantially increases the problems related to attaching and detaching the device from the tree in the limited space available under an evergreen tree with many unevenly spaced branches and the surrounding packages and floor decorations. U.S. Pat. No. D 378,266 issued to Buehler also shares these complications.
Devices with remote water reservoir have also been disclosed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,791,082 issued to Finello and 4,653,224 issued to Weckesser are illustrative. These devices run a hose from the remote reservoir to the tree. However, potential dislodgement of the hoses and the undesirability of additional visible containers under or near the decorative trees are serious problems.
None of the prior art discloses a device that addresses these problems in a simple, convenient and widely applicable manner. Accordingly, there is a clear need for a simple device that aids in the monitoring, automatic replenishment, storage and transportation of the needed liquid to a plant.
It would also be highly desirable to provide a device that can be used with a very wide range of tree stands and their accompanying water basins. Such as device would fit into any part of the basin that the user deemed accessible.
It would even be more highly desirable if the device for these tasks was very simple to use without the use of any additional mechanisms or support devices.